The coronavirus pandemic has brought many changes. It has forced us all to find new ways of working, interacting and living. Digital technology is a key component of our collective effort to tackle the virus and support our new ways of living and working reality during this exceptional time. In this regard, on 16th September 2020, during the State of the Union address, the President von der Layen said: “We must make this Europe's Digital Decade”. The Dart Out project is in full syntony with this change already from the title: Digital Art Therapy Tools to Overcome addiction United Together. In response of the COVID-19 situation, the main aim of the project is the social inclusion of people treated in addiction centers from 3 European countries (Poland, Greece and Italy) and the process of personal development through art therapy using also digital tools that will allow them to get in touch and to work together to overcome the limitations imposed by the pandemic. The process is aimed at the personal development of patients from the centers involved in the project and at the improvement of the entire therapeutic cycle in the context of theoretical knowledge and art therapy tools, involving also therapeutic community workers in the development of skills and competences in art therapy. The main phases of the project are three and correspomd with the three intellectual ouputs . The first phase foresees research and study activities: - a survey about the needs of the patients that are following a treatment process in the therapeutic communities in the three involved countries and about the needs of educators, to do art therapy activities in therapeutic communities; - a study on good practices of art therapy in therapeutic communities for drug addiction in the involved countries, considering, in particular, good practices using digital tools or that can be adapted for the use of digital tools. The good practices identified by the whole partnership will be evaluated by the art therapists/educators involved in the project and the best ones will be selected to be used in the project. The second phase will involve educators/art therapist in a joint training event to exchange and evaluate practically the best methods and techniques to create a training scheme for therapeutic community workers that wants to implement art therapy activities in therapeutic communities. In the last phase an art therapy programme for rehabilitation from drug addiction, including the use of digital tools, will be designed and realized in the therapeutic centers involved. The Greek, Italian and Polish organizations, trough the use of digital tools will work together, in joint art therapy sessions. Educators and patients will be involved. The use of the digital tools in doing art therapy activities in TC is the general aim and innovative idea of the project, and the description and evaluation of the good practices as the need analysis of patients and educators to realize the art therapy activities in TC, will pose the conditions for a positive impact on the centers involved and the possibility to transfer the results also in other contexts.
One of the aims of the project was to exchange good practice in the provision of art therapy classes between the partner organisations: to achieve this, a thorough patient and staff survey was developed. On this basis, a Report describing the results of the Patient and Educator Needs Survey was produced. The next step was to hold a transnational event (STJSTE) to share and learn about art therapy techniques at work in rehabilitation centres, including the use of digital/online tools. The event involved 15 educators/therapeutic community workers, five from each participating organisation. Further objectives were: - Development of Training for Educators/Willing Patients, - Piloting 3 Local Trainings for Educators and Patients: - Creating an Art Therapy Programme for Rehabilitation Centres: - Piloting 3 Art Therapy Programmes in Each Partner Country: - Final Version of the Art Therapy Programme: - Preparation of the final version of the Art Therapy Programme, including description of methods, techniques, digital tools, reviewed and approved by the three partners after the piloting.
The Dart Out project was created in response to the changes brought about by the pandemic and as a continuation of the ETC project, which was led by partners from Poland and Italy. The pandemic forced everyone to look for new ways of working, interacting and living. Digital technology has become a key ingredient in the joint effort to combat the virus and support a new reality of living and working at this exceptional time. In response to the COVID-19 situation, the main objective of the project is the social integration of people treated in addiction centres from three European countries (Poland, Greece and Italy) and a process of personal development through art therapy, also using digital tools. Through these, project participants were able to connect and collaborate, overcoming the limitations imposed by the pandemic. The process focuses on the personal development of patients from the centres involved in the project and on improving the whole therapeutic cycle in the context of theoretical knowledge and art therapy tools. Staff from the therapeutic community are also involved in the project, developing skills and competences in art therapy.